More unusually, especially in an otherwise parched Chennai, companies had to set up makeshift camps in their offices with mattresses and temporary shower stalls.Bharani Vaitheesvaran, Anirban Sen&Sobia Khan | ET Bureau | November 25, 2015, 08:31 IST

Infosys followed similar business continuity procedures, moving several of its 25,000 employees to offices in Bengaluru and Hyderabad and asking others to work from home, according to the company's employees. "Infosys has taken several measures to ensure safety of employees and continuity of business at its centres in Chennai," a company spokesperson told ET.

The offices of India's fourthlargest software exporter, HCL Tech, on the IT corridor of Chennai along Old Mahabalipuram Road, were flooded last week, forcing the company to temporarily shut operations and seek the help of boatmen to rescue staff, according to company employees. HCL Tech flew some key employees to its offices in Noida and asked several others to log in from home. HCL and its subsidiaries employ 24,000 employees in Chennai.

TCS, the country's largest software exporter that has more than 65,000 employees in Chennai, managed operations and client interactions without having to move people but gave employees the option to work from home or from offices near them, a company spokeswoman said.

India's third-largest IT firm, Wipro, gave its 18,000 employees in Chennai the option of working from home for most of last week.

"We had moved out our employees to safer locations only after assessing the on-ground situation," a company spokeswoman said.

"Electrical systems were strategically monitored to avoid any untoward incidents. Adequate fuel and food items were stocked... (And) Boats and large vehicles were arranged to allow in-campus commute."